When Michael Carrick retired from playing for Manchester United to join the club’s coaching staff in 2018, José Mourinho handed him two things at the club’s end-of-season awards ceremony: a whistle and some headache tablets.
The latter have become particularly necessary during the club’s first serious spell of underwhelming form under his watch. After all the enthusiasm inspired by the second half of last season, Carrick has seen his side lose half of their first six fixtures this season.
An opening-day humbling by Hull City set the tone for a month which has only been enlived by wins against newly promoted Ipswich Town and Champions League newbies Sabah FK.
The mood reached a new nadir when United conspired to give up a 2–0 lead at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night. “We’ve gone out of the cup tonight, and the feeling around the place feels bigger than that,” Carrick conceded, his blue irises looking remarkably pale in a watery set of eyes.
“I don’t feel under pressure,” Carrick insisted after being booed off by the few fans who had waited until the final whistle of a disastrous 3–2 reverse, but the pressure is definitely there. Should United fail to snap this draining streak, United’s manager may need more than headache tablets.
What’s Next for Man Utd After Brighton Implosion?
| Date | Opponent | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Sept. 20 | Fulham (A) | Premier League |
| Saturday, Oct. 10 | Tottenham (H) | Premier League |
| Tuesday, Oct. 13 | Atlético Madrid (A) | Champions League |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Leeds (A) | Premier League |
| Wednesday, Oct. 21 | Como (A) | Champions League |
Even in the face of United’s current struggles, Carrick was optimistic. “Of course we can turn it around, we have got some really good players,” he offered up. “It feels bad because we haven’t had a great week or two, or three weeks.”
United have the chance to turn that bad feeling around as soon as Sunday, when they travel to Fulham’s Craven Cottage. Álvaro Arbeloa has endured an even worse start to the season than Carrick, collecting just a single point from his first four Premier League games. Only a visibly exhausted Liverpool have failed to beat a laughably open Fulham side. Just two teams in the division have conceded more xG than the Cottagers thus far this term.
The back door may be open but Fulham have been front-footed under Arbeloa, taking a division-high 139 touches in the opposition box. This promises to be a chaotic affair which could quite easily swing either way.
If United don’t pick up three points, it will be an especially long three-week international break for Carrick. The Red Devils don’t return to action until Oct. 10, when a similarly at sea Tottenham Hotspur travel to Old Trafford.
United are on the road thereafter, traveling to the inhospitable homes of Atlético Madrid and bitter rivals Leeds United before venturing down the lake to Como.
Wednesday night was not United’s first humiliation at the hands of Brighton, who serve as fitting victors. The Seagulls are a club run on a fraction of the funds of United but stretch those resources so much further than the meat grinder of money at Old Trafford. Cesc Fàbregas’s Serie A upstarts are another example of a remarkably more efficient outfit than their upcoming opponents. Yet, at this rate, it’s harder to find a club that isn’t.
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